


Never let go

by sciencebiatch



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 14:29:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5543354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sciencebiatch/pseuds/sciencebiatch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the academy they went seperate ways. They had lost each other once. A fake 'fate' encounter meeting schemed by their friends -  brings them back together. But is that enough ?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheLateNightStoryTeller](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLateNightStoryTeller/gifts).



> For thelatenightstoryteller (Fitzsimmons secret Santa 2015)  
> Prompt : corn maze 
> 
> I had so much fun writing this. Such a cute topic ! Enjoy :)

***flashback***

“I present to you … the class of 2007”

Everyone cheered and all you could see was a sea full of graduation hats being thrown into the air. As the applause and laughter started to die down, everyone started to move their own ways - that was when Fitz turned to Simmons before embracing her into a hug.

“We did it Simmons,” he said while laughing - not really believing it himself yet.

They were the youngest at the academy, being only 20 and graduating had been both of their dreams.

Jemma pulled him back into the hug before nesting her head into his shoulder, just taking in her surroundings. This was her last day at the academy. Last time being a student. The last time being this close to Fitz.

She shut her eyes tight trying to calm herself down. She tried not to think of the long hours in her dorm at night, just worrying over what was going to happen next. Her and Fitz were going in two separate ways. He had gotten a job working for Tony Stark, whilst Jemma was offered a place at one of the biggest research firms as a research scientist.

Opening her eyes, she noticed that Fitz had been staring down at her - she gave him a reassuring smile before taking his hand and dragging him into the festivities their year level had thrown for the occasion.

Fitz followed Jemma around as she took him from place to place.

He smiled when she smiled. Her laugh lit up his world. He could feel the warmth from her hand radiating into his and he never wanted to let go.

The engineer wasn’t going to lie to himself. He’d known for a while now. The crush he had on Jemma was a little more than trivial - but they were going their separate ways. He wasn’t prepared to make things awkward with Jemma.

The way Fitz’s hand fit into hers was perfect … she had held hands with other boys before, yet it never felt like this. Smiling to herself, she dragged him into the photobooth.

If this was going to their last time together - she was going to need something to remember it.

Fitz stopped. He didn’t like taking photos - they made him feel uncomfortable and he felt them as unnecessary.

“Please Fitz … one last time.” Jemma looked at him; holding their hands tighter.

Leo couldn’t resist. Her eyes and face which was normally glowing with cheerfulness had all disappeared. He was suddenly upset and her eyes were darker.

He hated seeing her upset. He would do anything for her.

They both huddled into the booth and grinned into the camera.

Fitz linked his arm around Jemma, pulling her into his body as the camera clicked.

As the countdown started for the last photo, Jemma moved to press a kiss onto Fitz’s cheek.

The camera flashed and Fitz put on the cheesiest smile he could, even thought he knew his face was probably all red.

Walking out of the cramped booth, Fitz rubbed his back; trying to avoid eye contact with Jemma. She handed him the slip of photos with them before he slipped it into his pocket as they walked towards something else that caught Jemma’s eye.

By the time it got dark, Jemma turned to see Fitz already watching her.

She leaned so that her back rested into his.

“We’ll keep in contact .. yeah?” She asked, even though she knew that it wasn’t going to happen.

They might sent a letter or a phone call once in awhile - but they both knew that work was going to take up most of their time - not matter how hard they tried to keep in contact.

“Yeh...” Fitz trailed off not wanting to face the truth.

Jemma felt tears start to drip. They had spent years together, side by side. She flung her arms around his neck.  
“I’ll miss you Fitz. More than anything” She told him, not wanting to let go.

“You too Jemma. You too…”

She contemplated telling him. Telling him how she felt - the crush she had been harbouring since they met. She wanted to whisper into his ear, telling him that she didn’t want him to leave, that she couldn't bare to not see him, but then she felt him pull back.

“Bye Jemma .. “

and then he walked away

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.*.

***present***

**FITZ POV**

The door slams and Bobbi walked in with an annoyed look on her face. I could see in her eyes that Hunter had done something wrong … again. She strided towards Lance, her eyes never leaving his - Hunter pressed his back into the wall behind him. Hunter would never admit it, but I knew that he was scared of Bobbi, especially when she was angry like this.

I walked back into my room, I didn’t need to hear Bobbi yell at Hunter before the two of them starting making out. Even though Hunter’s love life was weird and not normal in any way, I was happy for him. Him and Bobbi.

Trudging around the mess in my room, I sat back down at my desk before banging my head into the desk. There were papers everything - all notes and blueprints for my latest invention. I started two weeks ago and I wasn’t any closer than I was before. Moving away all the prototypes and papers, I cleared some space and started some more calculations before realizing I was at the same bloody place as I was before.

I give up.

There was no way I was going to be able to solve this - not in this condition anyway.

“Fitz!” Hunter yelled at me from outside my room. When I didn’t reply, he started banging on my door.

“Comin’,” I called before trying to neaten my desk as best as possible before opening my door again to find Hunter waiting for me, and Bobbi watching me from the living room.

“Go get dressed,” Hunter pointed at his clothes before shaking his head disapprovingly.

“I haven’t left the house, there was no reason to change,” I told him, which caused Bobbi to laugh.

“Exactly, we are going out and you’re coming with us - so hurry up,” she told me.

I contemplated the idea. I really needed to get out of the house, but I still had so much work to do. Looking back at Hunter, and trying to convince him to let me stay, he just shook his head, so I knew that I had no choice.

“Fine. But where are we going so I know how to dress?” I asked, still annoyed at them for forcing me to go.

“Corn Maze.” Hunter told me with a sly grin, and glanced at Bobbi, making me feel like they were planning something.

Walking back into my room I searched my wardrobe for something to wear. Pulling on a grey tshirt, I moved to pick up my phone from my desk when I saw the picture.

It was hidden behind my mess of papers, but it was still there - it had always been there.

Smiling I moved the other papers away so I could see it clearer, remembering back to the day when we took that photo.

“I miss you Jemma” .

 

**JEMMA'S POV**

“Jemma. You’ve got to stop and get out there,” her roommate Daisy told me while walking into the room and  
saw the state I was in.

Totally ignoring her, I took another large scoop out of my tub of ice cream and watched as Ryan Gosling kissed Rachel McAdams in the rain, wondering why wasn’t my life as perfect as that.

Daisy came up to me and tugged the ice cream out of my hands, to my complaint, she also turned off the tv forcing me to get up and walk back to my room, not wanting to hear another lecture about how I have to get my life back in order.

When Daisy broke up with Ward, she didn’t talk to me for days and locked herself into her room, I don’t see why I wasn’t allowed to mope around the house just like she did.

Lying on my bed, I tried to close my eyes and forget about everything. My peace and quiet didn’t last very long because Daisy was knocking at my door again.

When I didn’t go and open it she just barged in, “Get up. Get dressed - we are going out,” she told me.

“Daisy, I’m not going out to get drunk and go clubbing - I’ve told you this a thousand times already,” I said looking at her annoyedly.

“I know. I know. You told me this very clearly last time. No, this time I’m taking you to a corn maze. There’s one just near there - come on. It’ll be fun.”

Clearly Daisy and I had very different ideas of fun, but nonetheless I agreed; I didn’t want her to give me another lecture and told her to get out while I got ready.

Standing up, I looked in the mirror - I looked like a total mess, but that wasn’t what caught my interest. It was the photo.

I pulled the photo off the mirror and laid back down onto my bed looking at it.

“Fitz, why couldn’t life be as simple as the academy? It was always just the two of us against the world. No boyfriends. No breakups. No people telling me that everything will get better.”

Sitting back up, I stuck the photo back onto the mirror.

“I miss you Fitz.”


	2. Fake Encounters

*3 days earlier*

Hunter unlocked his phone and brought up the photo that he’d taken from Fitz’s room this morning when he was out.

“Yep, that’s the same photo Jemma has taped to her mirror.” Daisy told Bobbi before settling back into the chair.

“Well, what do we do now ?” Bobbi asks, not really sure why Hunter and Daisy wanted to meet up, and why they were dragging her along.

“Don’t you see” Daisy practically yelled in her face and slammed her hand onto the table, “They went to the academy together. Best Friends - trust me if you live with Jemma you’ll notice how much she talks about her best friend from the academy.”

“Yeh, same with Fitz” Hunter added.

“What happened ?” Bobbi asked, clearly not caught up with everything.

“Jemma says they just lost contact. I can tell that she had a crush on him - she never told me his name, but I’m fairly certain that he’s your roommate.” Daisy told Hunter, who nodded.

“It’s Fitz.” Hunter said. Daisy finally putting a name to the face.

“I always find him staring at that picture, but he never wants to tell me about her.”

“Let’s do it” Daisy said suddenly, “Let’s set them up.”

“That was the whole point of this, wasn’t it?” Bobbi commented, knowing Daisy always had a plan.

 

FITZ'S POV

 

Standing in front of the maze, there were barely any other people here.

I wasn’t really going to admit it, but I was hella scared right now. If I had learnt anything from the academy, it was that I really liked pranking people, but when it really came down to me being the victim, I get bloody scared.‘ Just like that time Simmons and I were still at the academy...

It was at the academy, when these two boys decided to get back at Simmons and I for pranking them. On one of the nights, everyone else in their dorm was out celebrating the end of exams, but Simmons and I decided to celebrate by watching Doctor Who. They cut the power. The tv turned off and so did all the lights. There were no noise - it was dead silent. I felt like a wimp admitting this, but I clung to Simmons like my life depended on it. She assured me that they would go find the main electrical port and try to turn the power back on - so she led me out of our room and down towards the basement. It was then the noises started. The creaking, the rustling and the whispers. It was like someone else was there. I felt my heart start to beat faster and my grip on Jemma’s arm tightened. She tried to calm me down, but I was too jumpy. The prank all ended once we got to the basement. When Jemma had opened the cupboard to fix the light a skeleton had flung out at them. I fell backwards and screamed like a girl. It was Jemma who realized this was all a prank. I swore to never pranked again …

I wasn’t too fond of the dark and I hated things popping out into my face - so this maze wasn’t looking like the best place to be right now.

“I don't know if I can do this …” I told Hunter, looking from the maze to him.

I looked at the entrance - you couldn’t see much while standing outside, it was just a dark pathway into an abyss.

“Don’t be such a wuss,” Hunter told me before pushing me in the first few feet.

Looking back one last time, I started to walk in, knowing Hunter and Bobbi would just follow after me.

I took slow breaths and short steps. I wasn’t prepared for anything to start popping out at me. I tried to not look ahead as much as possible. My eyes were stuck to the ground and I just followed my feet.

When I turned around to see if Hunter was still behind, he wasn’t. Neither was Bobbi.

I felt my heart rate go faster. I looked on all sides of me and couldn’t see them. Taking out my phone I saw that I had an unread text.

Hunter Sent 7:34pm   
Soz mate. Bobbi and I left for some … alone time ;) if you get what I mean.

Ugh! I was so annoyed at them. That was so typical, I was always being the third wheel and being left in random places.

Pocketing my phone I had to get out. I started going the way I came … but I ended up worse than I had started.

JEMMA’S POV

“Here we are. See it isn’t that bad.” Daisy told me even though I was still unimpressed.

As we walked closer I could see the multiple twisted paths that led throughout the maze. It looked dark and if I was to guess, it was probably haunted, or what people thought haunted.

I wasn’t really afraid of haunted houses and scary things like that, they didn’t live by science so it obviously meant that they weren’t real.

I stood at the entrance, just waiting for Daisy to catch up to me, when she got a phone call.

I stood there .. waiting for her. I tried to peek my head in and tried to mentally figure out which way to turn and hopefully find my way out.

“Jemma.” Daisy ran back up to me, “That was Lincoln.”

Lincoln was Daisy’s boyfriend. They’d just started going out, but he seemed like a sweet guy. He popped into our apartment once in awhile - he had brought me chocolate so I couldn’t hate him.

“And … “ I waited for her to continue.

“He wants to meet, and I’m so sorry Jemma. I really want to go see him but I said that I’d get you out and we’d have some fun and everything .. but LINCOLN” She told me all very quickly, but I caught on.

She was ditching me for her boyfriend.

“Go on then. Can’t leave him waiting” I pushed her along, leaving me by myself. Standing in front of a corn maze.   
Peeking in again I decided that I may aswell go in. I was here and dressed already and I knew that if Daisy found out that I’d just gone straight home she’d be upset.

The first 10 minutes were fine. I’d gone left, left, straight and taken a right. Yes a bunch of weird things had popped into my face. There were weird noises playing from speakers and the bushes were rustling despite no wind.

The sky darkened and it wasn’t until it was getting darker that I was starting to get creeped out. There weren’t as many noises, only the ones coming from the speakers. The jump-scares were less frequent and when they happened I felt my heart stop for a millisecond.

At points of time I thought I could hear someone else but I knew it was imagining it. It wasn’t until I heard a loud high pitched scream, and it wasn’t a recording. There was someone else in this maze and they were highly creeped out by something.

Taking a deep breathe I kept walking. It was time to get out of here. …


	3. Second chances

FITZ’S POV

I felt like I was in the maze from the fourth Harry Potter book. Every corner I turned I expected the walls to start closing in on me, or there to be a glowing cup staring at me, begging for me to touch it - but there wasn't. It was just a dark creepy haunted corn maze. 

I felt something touch me. 

My automatic response was to jump back, making my body seem as small as possible. 

It touched me again and I let out a scream. 

I loud - high pitched scream. 

When I didn’t feel it anymore I looked and saw that it was just a branch. 

A branch. 

A stupid branch blowing in the wind. 

Now I felt like a wuss. 

Running my hand through my hair I knew I had to keep going. I was gonna be real mad at Hunter when I get out of here - if I ever get out of here. 

Corner after corner. 

Then I saw something. Well .. more like someone. 

I hadn’t heard their footsteps. I didn’t really assume anyone else was in the maze because it seemed deadly quiet. 

They … She, turned the corner ahead of me. She looked rushed, panicked - probably just freaking out like I was. 

It was only just a glimpse but there was no one I could recognize that well. 

There was a way that she walked. The clothes she wore. Her hair. 

Her chestnut coloured hair flew out behind her as she walked. 

I couldn’t even see her face - there was no proof that after so many years that we’d both be at the same place on the same night - but somehow I just knew. 

“Jemma” I called out after her, my voice coming out somewhat raspily. 

She stopped and turned back around. 

It was her. 

JEMMA’S POV 

I did not expect someone to be calling my name. 

My first thought was maybe Daisy decided to come looking for me, but her voice was more feminine. This voice was a male voice. A very familiar male voice…

Fitz. 

I spun around. 

He looked the same as he did all those years before. The same - but older. More mature, in a kind of cute looking way. 

“Fitz.” 

I called back to him. 

The sound of his name coming from my mouth, felt almost too normal.

It had been too long, all the memories from the Academy came rushing back to me. 

All the late night studying. The Doctor Who marathons when we both cuddled into his bed. The pranks we pulled. Graduation … 

He had cut his hair. All his small curly locks were long gone. He was also sporting minor stubble and he looked tired. 

Why wasn’t he getting enough sleep ? Was something wrong ? 

All the thoughts rushing through my head made me realized something. 

Not only did I miss him but the crush I had harboured all those years ago was still there - buried deep below everything else going on - but it was still there. 

 

“Didn’t expect to see you here?” For someone who almost cried when someone tried pranking him, a corn maze at night was the last place she’d expect him. 

“I didn’t even know you were in the state. I would have …” Fitz trailed off the sentence. Jemma wondered what he was going to say. 

I would have asked you out. I would have wanted to catch up .. 

“i’ve been here for a few months now” I told him, smiling softly. 

“Lost?” 

I nodded, assuming he was too. 

It then hit me. 

“The screaming. That was you” I asked slyly with a grin on my face. 

Fitz’s cheeks turned pink and he nodded shyly. 

“It’s okay Fitz. Nothing to be afraid of, but you have to tell me why you’re here in the first place.” I told him as he walked forward so we were so far apart. 

“Shall we?” He asked, 

“We shall” 

Then we started walking. Making our way (hopefully) out of here. 

FITZ’S POV

She smiled, and everything started to fall into place. 

We walked side by side, and talked like we used to -it was like no time had passed. 

“My roommate, Hunter, him and his girlfriend decided to drag me out to here.” 

“Let me guess, working on a new experiment” How did she know. 

I nodded, surprised at how she knew so easily. 

“Nothing has changed Fitz” she laughed at me, causing my face to heat up yet again. 

I explained to her the proponents of the experiments and she looked like a lightbulb had lit up on the top of her head. 

“You silly,” she thumped the back of my head, “It's a lab solution not a tech solution” 

Then she started explaining how the missing component was a dendrotoxin solution which had to be refined down to be able to work. 

We bounced ideas back and forth until we’d perfected it, without being in a lab, without any blueprints, just talking - that’s what I missed about Jemma. 

“Why are you here ? Doesn’t really seem like your type of thing either” I pointed out, waiting to hear her side of the story 

“My roommate Daisy.” 

“Wait!. Daisy?” I asked her, where had I heard that name before. 

“Yeh, Daisy Johnson. She’s my roommate. We share an apartment” She explained, then it hit me. 

“Does she have short hair and seem very energetic?” 

“Yes. She is very energetic sometimes” Jemma laughed 

“Hunter was talking about her. They met the other day I think?” 

“Bobbi and Hunter ?” Jemma asked me. So she knew about it too. 

“Yes.” 

It was then I realized what Hunter was telling me that day, when I was half not listening. He told me that he wanted to set me up with a girl, whom I was perfect for. I just told him no but I remembered him rambling on about how she was Daisy’s roommate and that I would love her .. 

She was Jemma. 

Jemma’s face mimicked mine - and I felt like us meeting wasn’t such a coincidence anymore. 

“We were set up weren’t we …” Jemma asked me softly. 

I nodded before trying to avoid her face, not wanting her to see me blush again from embarrassment. 

He’d never even told Hunter, Jemma’s name. Only the photo in his room. 

We kept walking, but now it was a more awkward silence.

I didn’t know what to say - Hunter was right. Jemma was more than perfect for me and there might be a chance I already loved her.

JEMMA’S POV

She saw Fitz blush and couldn’t help but feel her cheeks turn pink as well. 

They’d been set up. Daisy had wanted her to see Fitz again, and in all honestly - she wanted to see Fitz too.

It felt stupid just hours before I was still moping over my last break up and now I was happy to devote my life to Fitz. 

I would do anything for him. 

The silence now was unbearable but I didn’t know what to say. 

I saw Fitz start clenching his hand. It was turning white. I didn’t get why at first but when his hands started shaking I knew - he was scared again. 

I don’t know what made me do it, but I used my fingers to pry his hands open before replacing them with mine. Linking my fingers through his, squeezing my hand telling him that I was here. 

“I know this is pretty stupid to say. But what if we never make it out?” I asked him, hoping to stop the awkwardness. 

“Well I’m hoping either Hunter or Daisy would come rescue us. If not, we stop walking, do those really depressing confessions, like in all the movies, and then wait to die…” Fitz told me, which probably wasn’t what either of us wanted to hear. 

“Oh. Well let’s hope for the first one.” I said, really hoping someone came for us soon. 

“If we are going to die I should probably tell you that I had a crush on you back at the academy” Fitz said in a light hearted voice, while looking into my eyes.

He was being serious. 

I didn’t know how to respond. 

I had had a crush on him at the academy too, meaning we had years, but I still had a crush on him now. 

And by what he said, he didn’t. 

“I was the one that stole your blue jumper.” I admitted, knowing he had stressed about losing it. I had taken it because it was more comfortable than mine. 

Fitz looked at me with such shock and I couldn’t do anything but laugh it off. 

The mood was lightened, well partially. 

The tension wasn’t there. Not between us. But my heart felt out of place. 

This wasn’t like my breakup, it felt deeper. 

FITZ’S POV

I don’t know why i told Jemma about my crush back at the academy, it kind of just came out. 

When I’d said it, I had freaked out but she took it pretty well.

She must have thought that the crush had only lasted during our time there, but it was longer. It still is there .. 

Looking back at Jemma something felt wrong. She wasn’t smiling, her hand felt less ‘lifelike’ against mine.

I stopped, causing her to stop beside me as well. 

“What’s wrong?” I asked her, hoping she’d open up and tell me. 

She looked up at me confused, her eyebrows were furrowed and her mouth partially open.

I wondered whether she’d actually tell me. 

“I had a crush on you at the academy too. I thought that once we left that it would go away. I thought it had. And then we met again tonight and it’s not ... “ 

My breathe stopped, trying to put together what she was saying. 

“So you’re saying …” I asked my voice becoming a lot more quick. 

“I’m saying you’re more than that. More than my best friend, more than my lab partner. More than all of that” She said, unlinking our hands trying to express herself. 

She started walking again, leaving me behind. 

I took two long strides before taking her hand in mine.

“I thought about you everyday. The photo of us is on my desk. Nothing has changed Jemma. Nothing, I think .. the crush .. I think it might be something more now …”

Her hand moved and curled through my hair and behind my ear. 

I moved to rest my head onto hers.

I could feel her eyelashes brushing against mine. Her breathing slowed. 

I don’t know who moved first but our lips met in the middle. I moved my hand to cup her cheek as I moved in closer trying to get deeper into the kiss. Our lips moved together in sync like we always did. 

When I pulled back I smiled. 

I never felt happier. 

Linking our hands back together I felt Jemma lean her body against mine, her head resting on my shoulder. 

I looked down at her, before placing another kiss lightly on her forehead. 

The air felt different around us now. I looked up and noticed we were out. 

I turned and saw Jemma notice that too. 

She jumped and hugged me, whispering thank you’s over and over. 

I heard cheering and looked over to see Lance, Bobbi, Daisy and presumably her boyfriend Lincoln all watching us. 

“You know for two of the smartest scientist I was starting to get worried you guys weren’t ever going to come out” Hunter yelled out to me. 

I looked down at Jemma against before smiling - we’d be okay because this time I’m never letting go.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave Love :)


End file.
